Star Trek
Star Trek was a 20th and 21st century phenomenon created by Gene Roddenberry in the 1960's. It was a landmark show in that it was the first science fiction television show to market itself to adults, not just children. Known for its social themes, it masked current social commentary in sci-fi storylines. In fact, television's first-ever interracial kiss took place in an episode of Star Trek (between Captain Kirk and Lt. Uhura). The original series (TOS), as it later was called, spawned a series of six TOS movies, five spin-off TV series (one of which was continued into four movies of its own, for a total of ten), and was rebooted entirely in movie form in 2009 (the eleventh movie in the franchise). Memory Alpha, the Star Trek wiki In the 2200s, the cast reunited for musical specials, with the exception of Scotty who was replaced by a character named Welshie. Philip J. Fry is a fan of the series and its spin-offs, but Star Trek is banned from Earth by the 31st century. The show was banned after the Star Trek Wars. By the 23rd century, Star Trek fandom had evolved to a full-blown religion. As country after country fell under its influence, world leaders felt threatened by its power. And so, Trekkies were executed in the manner most befitting virgins, by being thrown into a volcano. The original 79 episodes and 6 movies (along with the blooper reel where the door doesn't close all the way) were sent into space and dumped onto the forbidden world, Omega III. In the 28th Century, the heads of the original cast, except for Leonard Nimoy, took off into space because the people of Earth no longer appreciated them. Sometime beforehand, the tapes of Star Trek fell into the hands of Melllvar. Melllvar also found the ship that contained the heads of the original cast members. He gave them back their bodies and made them recreate episodes of the show. "Where No Fan Has Gone Before" References *Many of the music and sound effects, especially the automatic doors, from various episodes are taken from Star Trek. Season 1 "Space Pilot 3000" *Fry's narration is a parody of the opening narration that appeared in both Star Trek: The Original Series (TOS) and Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG). The "Space: The Final Frontier..." becomes "Space: It seems to go on and on forever...". "Love's Labours Lost in Space" *Zapp Brannigan is introduced in this episode. He is a broad parody of Captain James T. Kirk. *Brannigan's Law is the DOOP equivalent to Starfleet's Prime Directive. "Fear of a Bot Planet" *In DS9: "If Wishes Were Horses", baseball is revealed to be a nearly extinct sport in the Star Trek universe. One could extrapolate it could turn into something like blernsball by the 31st Century. *Star Trek has a history of leaders not being what they seem, such as in TOS: "The Return of the Archons". "A Fishful of Dollars" *The title is a reference to ''A Fistful of Dollars'' and which was in turn changed to "Fistful of Datas" in TNG's sixth season. "A Big Piece of Garbage" *Moving large objects is also tackled in TNG: "Deja Q". Season 2 "Brannigan, Begin Again" * DOOP is explicitly compared to the United Federation of Planets (even though Star Trek is considered taboo). Also, the "Neutral Zone" in which its headquarters are located may be a reference to the Neutral Zone between the Romulans and the Federation. * When the Planet Express Ship comes into the new station, a riff on the theme of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (DS9) can be heard. * The laser Zapp uses to cut the ribbon has settings of "Stun", "Kill" and "Hyperdeath™", a reference to phasers from the Star Trek universe. "Why Must I Be a Crustacean in Love?" *The entire episode, particularly the ritual arena combat between Fry and Zoidberg, has close correlations with TOS: "Amok Time". * When Zoidberg asks Amy to take the rubber bands off his claws (in a somewhat sexy manner), Amy's retort is "Fool me 7 times, shame on you. Fool me 8 or more times, shame on me." This line is a reference to a line in TOS: "Friday's Child". *The national anthem of Decapod 10 is the same music heard during the fight scene between Kirk and Spock from "Amok Time". *Several elements in this episode, such as Decapodian mating season and the ritualistic battle to the death also mirror plot details from that particular Star Trek episode. Also the traditional Vulcan weapon used in the kal-if-fee, the ahn-woon, is shown as one of the weapons Fry can choose from. *Claw-Plach also sounds a lot like "Qa'pla", the Klingon word for "Success." "The Lesser of Two Evils" *Flexo's Goatee is a parody of TOS: "Mirror, Mirror" where the Spock from a parallel universe has a beard. Put Your Head on My Shoulders *During the commercial, Malfunctioning Eddie says "Values like this all new Plymouth V'ger!". This is a reference to Plymouth's Voyager series of vehicles, but with "Voyager" shortened to "V'ger", a direct reference to Star Trek: The Motion Picture. "A Clone of My Own" *Captain Muskie's introduction music is a musical cue from the Original Series. His appearance and chair are based on that of Christopher Pike from "The Menagerie" parts I and II. *It is revealed that the Planet Express ship moves in a manner similar to Trek's warp drives. *The Professor shows Cubert a Universal Translator device, which unfortunately only translates to an "incomprehensible, dead language". Cubert says hello to the translator to test it, to which the translator responds, "Bonjour!" This could imply that the French language no longer exists in the Futurama timeline (despite being used on several occasions). Many Trek fans have wondered why French Captain Jean-Luc Picard sounds so unequivocally British. "The Deep South" *Bender's announcement that "in the event of an emergency, my ass can be used as a flotation device" is a reference to the movie Star Trek: Insurrection, in which Data says "in the event of a water landing, I have been designed to serve as a flotation device" upon resurfacing in a lake. "The Problem with Popplers" *The title references TOS: "The Trouble With Tribbles", in which it is discovered that the trouble with tribbles is their astronomical reproductive rate. *Leela mentions the planet to be of type M, a refer to class M planet, the most common class of planets seen in the series. *Roddenberries are a reference to creator Gene Roddenberry. "Anthology of Interest I" *Nichelle Nichols has a cameo as herself. "The Cryonic Woman" *Gangs of savage children and adolescents are found throughout science fiction, including TOS: "Miri". Season 3 "Amazon Women in the Mood" *The Femputer is similar in appearance to Landru from TOS: "Return of the Archons". "Parasites Lost" *One could argue that the Trill symbionts are parasites that make their hosts better. *In DS9: "One Little Ship", a runabout is reduced in size and features miniature versions of several cast members. *The episode title is a reference to the DS9 Season 4 Episode Paradise Lost, that title itself alluding to the Epic Poem by John Milton. "A Tale of Two Santas" *Leela's logical paradox mirrors that which Captain Kirk puts to the alternate Mr. Spock in TOS: "Mirror, Mirror". "The Day the Earth Stood Stupid" *"The Civilization of Space Rome," one of the planets Hermes says was destroyed, could be a reference to TOS: "Bread and Circuses". "That's Lobstertainment!" *The film Star Trek: The Pepsi Generation is nominated for an Oscar; this is a reference to the Star Trek fan film, Star Trek: The Pepsi Generation. It is also more simply references Star Trek: The Next Generation and a famous marketing campaign by Pepsico. "Where the Buggalo Roam" *Music reminiscent of the theme to Star Trek is heard as Zapp and Kif's ship, the Nimbus, is onscreen. "Bendin' in the Wind" *Bender lands at "Fisherman's Worf", renamed after the Star Trek: The Next Generation character Worf. "Time Keeps on Slippin'" *Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth mentions "time particles called chroniton" to make mutants grow faster, a possible reference to Star Trek's chroniton, used in all time travel technologies. "I Dated a Robot" *There is an OldTREK-vs-NewTREK.web chat room. Two Trekkies are (illegally) arguing whether TOS or TNG is the better series. The TOS fan claims Kirk could kick Picard's ass. The TNG fan argues that at least Picard could admit he was bald. "A Leela of Her Own" *In DS9: "If Wishes Were Horses", baseball is revealed to be a nearly extinct sport in the Star Trek universe. One could extrapolate it could turn into something like blernsball by the 31st Century. *The Blernsball Hall of Fame exhibit to honor "players who broke the various color barriers", shows a green alien, a purple alien, and the half black and half white alien from TOS: "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield". "Roswell that Ends Well" *According to DS9: "Little Green Men", Quark and other Ferengi are responsible for the crash in Roswell, NM. * In Joe's Malts, a Starfleet logo is drawn on tables *Bender's Head sitting in Roswell for 1,000 years could be a reference to Data's head sitting under San Francisco for 500 years in TNG: "Time's Arrow" "Godfellas" *The text on the opening sequence asks viewers to "turn off all cell phones and tricorders". *This: Bender: But why would God think in binary? Unless ... you're not God, but the remains of a computerised space probe that collided with God. "God": That seems probable. references The Changeling, in which the crew encounters a god-like entity formed by the collision of a human made probe with an alien probe. *''Star Trek V: The Final Frontier'' posits the concept of a being godlike in power that is nonetheless not God as humans conceive of it, i.e. not the creator of the universe, nor in fact good. "Future Stock" *The Intergalactic stock exchange shows the following companies: Kirk (-1.25), Gorn (+2), and Q (-98) Season 4 "Kif Gets Knocked Up A Notch" *The HoloShed (and its frequent malfunctions turning holograms "real") are parodies of the holodeck from Star Trek: The Next Generation. *Among the holographs who become rampant are Professor Moriarty, Attila the Hun, Jack the Ripper and an evil version of Abraham Lincoln. **Professor Moriarty actually "came alive" in TNG: "Elementary, My Dear Data". **TOS: "Wolf in the Fold" purports Jack the Ripper was an evil alien entity. **TOS: "The Savage Curtain" features aliens pitting some of history's most iconic heroes (including Lincoln) against its most hated villains (including Genghis Khan, but not Attila the Hun). *The sick bay scene is a parody of that from Star Trek: The Original Series, complete with sound effects. The sign references a creature from the series called a Horta, which gives severe acid burns. The sick bay's doctor is an obvious parody of Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy, and is named "Veins" in a deleted scene. * The Grand Midwife is a parody of the Vulcan High Priestess in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. "Leela's Homeworld" *The computer on the Warden's desk appears similar to the personal computers used in Star Trek: The Next Generation. "A Taste of Freedom" *On Embassy Row, Zoidberg runs past the Neutral Planet embassy, the Klingon Embassy, and the Globetrotter Homeworld Embassy. "Teenage Mutant Leela's Hurdles" *The plot of TNG: "Rascals" includes several members of the Enterprise-D crew reverting to younger versions of themselves. * The space station that Professor Farnsworth accidentally destroys is almost identical in appearance to Deep Space 9. "Where No Fan Has Gone Before" *This episode included voice cameos by the stars of the Original Series, except two. DeForest Kelley, had already passed away before the episode was made. James Doohan refused to appear as Scotty, which is why they replaced him with Welshie. *Jonathan Frakes has a cameo as himself. "Jurassic Bark" *Fry attempts to deliver a pizza to a Mr. Seymour Asses and meets the dog he later names Seymour. When he goes to leave after spending some time with him in an alley he says "live long and prosper" which is the exact words of Vulcan salute. "The Sting" *Fry's casket is jettisoned into space in a similar fashion to Spock's in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. "Spanish Fry" *In arguably the worst episode of The Original Series, "Spock's Brain", the crew spends the entire episode searching for Mr. Spock's brain which has been stolen by aliens. "Three Hundred Big Boys" *The prison Kif is held in is named "Commander Riker's Island" a reference both to the real life Rikers Island and to the character of Commander William T. Riker of Star Trek: The Next Generation. *Fry drinks 100 cups of coffee which then gives him "Hyper-accelerated" speed which references the Star Trek:The Original Series episode "Wink of an Eye" in which Captain Kirk is given the same effect after drinking a cup of coffee. Mr Spock uses the same time effect to fix the ship's vital systems in the same ay Fry saves everyone from the burning room. Season 5 (Movies) "The Beast with a Billion Backs" * Hubert J. Farnsworth says he has "sniffed where no man has sniffed before". * Zapp Brannigan starts a monologue with "Captain's log, stardate ..." "Bender's Game" * A Constitution-class and a NX-class starships are part of the derby. The former is piloted by Scott Bakula (Jonathan Archer's actor) and the latter by George Takei (Hikaru Sulu's actor), which is a swap compared to their respective role in the Star Trek universe. Takei accuses Bakula of "killing the franchise". "Into the Wild Green Yonder" * Leela mentions tribbles as a cuddly species. * Fry starts a monologue with "Delivery boy's log". Bender acts as a science officer and looks inside a "Spock-a-scope". Season 6 "Rebirth" *Zapp Brannigan orders to "fire all weapons" and "open a hailing frequency", two recurring expressions in Starfleet (although not in that order). "In-A-Gadda-Da-Leela" *The death sphere, "V-Giny" is a direct reference to the original series episode "The Changeling", wherein a collision of two probes results in an entity that destroy all imperfections, and always deems life to be imperfective. Both episodes start with planets being destroyed, and in both the threat is found to be on a direct course for Earth. *It could also be a reference to V-ger which was a space probe that was lost that returned to earth in ST:TMP. *When Hermes tries to find V-Giny on ship records, he says "it's not in the Janeway's guide, either". He is referring to Star Trek: Voyager and the various military guides published by Jane's Information Group. "Proposition Infinity" * Bender gets arrested (again) and is sent to Will Riker's Island. * URL uses the Vulcan nerve pinch on a criminal and says he "spock him out" * As an example of marriages that are legal, Bender points to a couple of people whose face is half white and half black. This species was the center of the plot of Let That Be Your Last Battlefield * George Takei moderates the debate on "Proposition Infinity" Season 7 "Near-Death Wish" * Fry urges everyone to "boldly go where we've gone before". "T.: The Terrestrial" * Hermes orders Leela to "activate cloaking device" and "engage deflector shield". Leela replies "that is from TV, Geordi". "Forty Percent Leadbelly" * After Fry exposes his plan to make a copy of Bender to be killed instead of the original, Dr. Beeler notices that "they did that on Star Trek TNG"; although it is unclear which episode he refers to. "Saturday Morning Fun Pit" * Richard M. Nixon's head comments a character's death by a ray weapon as "Beam my up, Scotty". "Meanwhile" * Hermes orders "Computer, Jamaican joy juice, hot", similarly to how Star Trek's 24th century replicators work; followed by the appearance of a mug with a typical replicator's sound and graphical effect. Viva Mars Vegas *In the opening a floating casino is named "Botany Bay", the name of Khan's ship, after which the casino is shaped. Footnotes Category:Real World Articles Category:Television Category:Guest stars Category:Religions